Accountability
The TNRD focuses on transparency and accountability in all aspects of governance, and is continually working to review policies and practices to ensure the highest standards of service are being met.
On this page, find links to pages and reports that will help inform you about financial and corporate information at the TNRD.
On This Page:
Separate from required annual financial reporting, the TNRD provides regular reporting of expenses by directors and senior managers, and of cheques paid to vendors of the TNRD.
Related News
2022 Annual Report Shows Progress on Service Delivery and Accountability
Kamloops, BC – May 18, 2023 – The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) is pleased to share the 2022 Annual Report with residents and the public. This document provides information about the regional district, the role
TNRD Board of Directors Approves 2023 Budget
Kamloops, BC – March 30, 2023 – The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) Board of Directors has adopted the 2023-2027 Financial Plan, as required by the Community Charter for all regional districts before March 31 of
Thompson Regional Hospital District Approves Budget, Capital Project Contributions for 2023
Kamloops, BC – March 30, 2023 – The Thompson Regional Hospital District (TRHD) Board of Directors has approved the 2023-2027 Financial Plan and funding requests for contributions to capital equipment purchases in 2023. An average
TNRD Public Feedback Survey Results
Kamloops, BC – March 22, 2023 – The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) hosted a Public Feedback Survey for 30 days between February 1 and March 2, 2023. In this survey, residents were asked to share
How is the TNRD Taking Action?
In 2021, BDO Canada conducted a forensic audit of past TNRD expenses, policies and procurement. The TNRD has made the findings public, as part of its commitment to transparency and accountability. The TNRD worked diligently to publicly release the forensic audit, in order to provide context and information. Acting on the recommendations that have come from the forensic audit has added to steps taken to enhance policies and practices.
Progress on Recommendations
1. Strengthen Board oversight on financial controls
2. Strengthen oversight by TNRD Audit Committee
3. Implement “Zero Tolerance” tone at the top
4. Improve CAO leadership and oversight
5. Implement fraud risk assessment
6. Update policies and bylaws
7. Update policies surrounding gifts and anti-bribery and corruption
8. Strengthen TNRD Code of Conduct
9. Strengthen Conflict of Interest policies
10. Develop policy addressing use of employer’s time for personal activities
11. Improve expense reimbursement process
12. Strengthen corporate credit card policy
13. Review Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) compensation
14. Implement performance review of CAO
15. Implement compensation benchmarking
16. Strengthen formal whistle-blowing mechanism
17. Implement testing of internal control measures
18. Increase accountability in financial department
Updated as of February 3, 2023
The TNRD has achieved substantial progress on action items towards increasing transparency and accountability, and work is ongoing on many initiatives. Below, view the TNRD Accountability Progress Report to find more details.
Timeline of Progress
October 6, 2022: TNRD staff provided the Board with a progress update on Accountability action items, showing that the TNRD was approximately 90% complete and providing an extensive list of new policies and improved policies.
In total, more than 30 Board and Administrative policies were significantly revised or newly created in 2022.
April 8, 2022: TNRD staff provided the Board with a public update on progress made on recommendations. In less than three months, the TNRD had completed 25% of recommendations, and 74% of recommendations were in progress.
January 24, 2022: The full forensic audit was released to the public, following a thorough legal review, to ensure the TNRD does not release information that it is legally prohibited from disclosing.
January 20, 2022: TNRD staff released a report explaining the recommendations that were made by BDO Canada and actions taken by the TNRD. The Board of Directors also voted to endorse all recommendations made by BDO Canada in the forensic audit.
December 16, 2021: A summary of findings was presented to the TNRD Board of Directors by BDO Canada.
December 2021: The forensic audit was completed. The forensic audit was expected to be completed during the summer of 2021, and the timeline was extended by BDO Canada because the scope of the forensic audit was expanded several times by BDO Canada.
April 22, 2021: Following a Request for Proposal (RFP) process, BDO Canada was chosen as the proponent to do an independent forensic audit. Six quality RFP submissions were made by experienced firms, and the highest-scoring proposal was made by BDO Canada.
March 11, 2021: The Board of Directors approved a recommendation to move forward with an independent forensic audit of the TNRD’s financial records. A report from the current CAO stated the review would be done with the purpose of making recommendations to improve internal controls and oversight measures.
Quick Facts
The forensic audit generally covered the period from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019, with the exception of per diem and telecommunications expense analysis that covered the period from 2014 to 2019, and an email review that included records from the period from 2001 to 2020.
The report covers the review of management and Board expenses claims, procurement and vendor review and other matters.
The TNRD provided 45,050 documents, and BDO Canada professional forensic audit investigators manually examined 13,324 documents. The TNRD also provided 876 Management and 264 Board expense reimbursement documents. BDO Canada professional forensic audit investigators spent more than 1,500 hours on their investigation into past records.
After gathering and analyzing information and conducting 21 interviews, BDO Canada provided:
- A 69-page forensic audit report
- A list of 18 control weaknesses with recommended actions for each
- A 25-page slideshow by BDO Canada, presented during a Regular Board of Directors Meeting on December 16, 2021